


Erebus

by Broken_Clover



Category: BlazBlue
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Based on a Fan Theory, Coma, F/M, Hospitals, Kokonoe can be a nice person sometimes, Not Canon Compliant, Not super angsty I promise, obviously
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-28
Updated: 2018-09-28
Packaged: 2019-07-18 15:49:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16121729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Broken_Clover/pseuds/Broken_Clover
Summary: Miraculously, Roy is back in his own body. All he has to do now is wake up.





	Erebus

**Author's Note:**

> Another gift for Melon-Choly, based on a fan-theory of theirs that if Roy managed to recover from being Arakune, the physical taxation would make him pretty sick and catatonic for a while while he healed. I promise I tried not to make this one too angsty, goodness knows this pairing already has enough!

“How are you feeling today, Roy?”

There was no answer, but she wasn’t expecting one. She didn’t even need to turn away from the window to know that. It may have seemed silly to converse with something that she knew couldn’t talk back, but there was something about it that was comforting.

Litchi sat on the windowsill. The curtains were pulled back to let in the midday sunlight. A misty bluish shadow was thrown across the floor, caused by the light striking the ship in a bottle that Tager had carefully placed there two weeks ago. It was one of the few decorations present in the mostly-colorless room. The rest of the room was almost comically empty, but with the state its occupant was in, he had no need for decor.

In contrast, it almost seemed like the far wall of the room was trying to make up for the emptiness. Scanners and sensors were all stacked atop one another, all beeping and rumbling and buzzing together in an almost-rhythm. Tubes and wires trailed off like spider’s threads, affixing themselves to a pale, thin, motionless body.

With the sheer amount of mechanical components, it was difficult to see much of the person they were actually attached to. In what was visible, dark blotches marred the exposed skin. They were prominent but faded, like charcoal smears on an artist’s hands that had yet to be scrubbed away.

With a little sigh, Litchi slipped off of the sill. She grabbed a chair and dragged it over to the bedside. A wayward hand traced part of the IV line until it disappeared underneath the blanket.

“You’re getting better, Roy. I hope you know that. You’ve been getting stronger. If you keep this up, they say that they’ll be able to take you off of the ventilator soon. I’m not too sure if it’ll be as quick as they say, but you’re more than welcome to prove me wrong, alright?”

Once again, no response came, aside from the gentle wheeze of air. Litchi threaded her fingers through Roy’s limp ones. Aside from the gentle warmth radiating off of his skin, the wavering lines on the scanners, and the slight fogging of the oxygen mask, it was difficult to tell that the man was still alive.

“Think you can wake up for me today?”

Litchi had dealt with patients before, ones who were in a similar situation. She knew that he wasn’t going to suddenly wake up, and that everything would magically become fine. It had been almost a month. She’d managed to get a few gentle squeezes from him, and a few other times where half-lidded eyes watched her with a sort of distant, mute recognition. Even with magic, there was likely still going to be some physical therapy necessary to help Roy get back all of his limbs and make everything work properly again. None of that could happen until he was actually awake. But still, Roy was back in his own body again, and his heart still beat. Litchi felt blessed just to have that.

“I know the bed probably isn’t very comfy. I was going to have you stay at my clinic, but it really wasn’t suited for something long-term like this. And...as much as I want to, I can’t watch you all the time. It’s better to have you here. I hope you’ll forgive me…”

“How’s our sleeping beauty doing today, eh?”

“Oh!” Litchi turned to see Kokonoe standing in the doorway. “Professor Kokonoe, I wasn’t expecting you-”

“What, you’re the only one who’s allowed to visit?” The pink-haired professor wore a cheshire grin as she popped a Silvervine lollipop in her mouth. After a moment of deliberation, she grabbed a stool of her own and sat down on the other side of the bed. “You haven’t been sitting here and monologuing to yourself all day, have you?”

Litchi went a little pink as she smiled. “No, I just got off work. I haven’t been by in a couple of days, so I thought a visit was in order.”

“Well, he sure as hell isn’t going anywhere.” Despite keeping her smile, Litchi could recognize a few of the woman’s stress habits. Her twin tails swished anxiously behind her, and her eyes flicked back and forth without really settling anywhere.

“Have you visited much, professor?”

“Nah.” The half-beastkin pulled the sweet from her mouth. “I’ve got better things to do.”

“The nurse said that she’s seen you in this wing quite a bit lately.”

“Gh-” Kokonoe diverted her gaze. “What, can’t a woman visit an old colleague?”

Litchi was quiet. She reached over to run a finger along one of the pale black smears on Roy’s arm. “They said that these should be fading soon.”

“Eh, I dunno how soon they think.” At that, Kokonoe was already back in her ‘science mode.’ “It’s like trying to un-mash a potato. Literally _undoing_ decay. I’m still amazed that they managed to piece it together into a human shape.”

“Well, Roy did do most of the work…”

The professor’s expression twisted, eventually setting on a sort of soft confusion. “I’ll take your word for it. I wish I’d taken better notes on this stuff, but at this point it definitely isn’t worth it.”

Before Litchi could ask any questions, Kokonoe reached up to paw at one of the jade talismans that hung from the ceiling. “Shiny. These yours?”

“Yes. They’re for luck.”

“Huh. Guess they’re working then, if the prognosis is any indication. I already took the liberty of finding a therapist, all the idiot needs to do now is wake up already.” Her tails continued to sweep back and forth, twining around each other.

“They said it should be soon.”

“Yeah.”

Litchi let herself glance away and take a deep breath, then looked Kokonoe right in the eyes. “...What are you going to say to him?”

It was clear that the professor hadn’t wanted that question. She froze in place, with even her tails going stiff and rigid. The lollipop in her mouth was pushed from one side to the other. Its owner let out a deep exhale.

“What _can_ I say?” A bitter smile twitched at the far end of her lip. “Sorry I pushed you into becoming an insane slime monster? Jeez...” She pushed a hand through her hair as her smile faded.

“Professor…”

“I fucked up. I know I fucked up. I get way too wrapped up in my own issues, and I keep acting like it’s everyone else’s fault. Roy was kind of a dumbass sometimes, but he was a good guy. I never wanted something like this to happen to him. I had no idea I was pushing him like this.” Kokonoe pulled the candy out of her mouth, before suddenly snapping down on it with a loud crack. “I have no idea if he’ll ever forgive me for this. To be honest, I wouldn’t, either.”

An awkward silence filled the room again, punctuated only by the faint humming and beeping of machinery. Someone’s muffled voice and echoed footsteps sounded in the hall outside. It was odd to think that there was anything else in the world but that one single, white room.

“As long as we’re ripping each others’ hearts out…” Kokonoe dropped her lollipop stick into the trash bin and pulled another one from her sleeve. “What are _you_ gonna say?”

Litchi didn’t flinch. “What do you mean?”

“I know you did all of this for a reason. You two weren’t just friends. Fate’s up in the air right now. Neither of you work for Sector Seven anymore. What are you going to do?”

“He’s going to need a place to stay.” The doctor said. “If the government offers accommodations, I can’t say what they’ll try and do with him.”

“I think you’re being a little paranoid.”

“Maybe so, but I want him to be safe.” She put her hands together in her lap, looking downwards. “And...with all that happened, I don’t think we can say for sure what and how much he’ll be able to remember. I think it’d be better if he was around someone he was comfortable with.”

Kokonoe shifted in her chair, discomfort barely hidden under her normal scowl. “And what if he doesn’t remember you, huh? What if being put back together turned him into some blank slate who has no idea who you are?”

A glimmer of fear shone in Litchi’s eyes. “You don’t think that’s going to be the case...do you?”

“Can’t say for sure. Just trying to not get my hopes up again. We’ve got his body back, but we can’t know what’s going on in his head.”

Litchi let her hands uncomfortably wring in her lap. Of course she had considered the possibility, but it wasn’t one that she liked to think about. Roy may not be able to remember some things, but forgetting her entirely? It seemed like they had been good friends for as long as she could remember.

A quiet little chortle from Kokonoe pulled Litchi out of her thoughts. She looked up to find the professor smirking slightly, reclining back in the chair.

“Well, if anyone can fix him, you can. Hell, you’re pretty much the reason we got Roy back in the first place. You spent years hunting down that monster, and you never gave up. That takes some guts.” She paused for a moment. “Tell ya what. If he _doesn’t_ remember you, I’ll sing your praises until the cows come home. Make him think you’re the greatest thing ever. That’ll rekindle your relationship, just like that!” She snapped her fingers. “Fall in love, do whatever mushy idiots like you are prone to do.”

Litchi couldn’t resist a little laugh of her own. “That’s kind of you professor, but I think I’ll be just fine. If he doesn’t remember, we can just...spend some time getting to know each other again. Hopefully I can make it better the second time around.”

Kokonoe shrugged, still smiling. “Hey, he’s out of my hair either way. You do whatever you want with him. Just make sure that you invite me over for coffee sometime, aight? I sure as hell hope that if he remembers anything, it’s how to make coffee.”

“I will, professor.” The doctor smiled warmly, and nodded. “I promise. Don’t worry”

“Ah, jeez. No need to get all sentimental on me!” Arching her back, the professor hopped out of her chair and onto the floor. She gestured to her former co-worker. “Shame Tager isn’t here to admit his deep, dirty secrets, that’d be _hilarious_. C’mon, Faye-Ling. Let’s go get a drink together.” Her tails swayed in excitement. “There’s a good cafe a couple blocks from here. Ain’t as good as his, but they’ve got some decent stuff.”

“Hmm? Oh, alright!” Litchi stood up as well, stretching out her stiff joints. “I suppose a drink would be nice.”

Before she turned to leave, she leaned over the bed, pushing away sensors and cords to press a careful kiss to the sleeping man’s forehead.

“Take your time, Roy. We’ll all be waiting for you.”

“Tch. Don’t worry, he ain’t going anywhere. Not like we’ll be gone long.”

Litchi blushed as she stood back up. “Y-yes. I’m sorry, you’re right.”

“Hey, no worries.” The pink-haired professor strode across the room as Litchi followed, opening the room’s door. “They’ve got a lot of options, so you’ll probably like something.”

“...Li...chi?”

The doctor felt her heart freeze. Time seemed to slow down ever more as she turned around with wide eyes. “Roy?”

Kokonoe smirked, twirling the lollipop in her mouth. “All these years, and it’s still the coffee that gets ya, eh, Carmine?”

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Difficult Reconciliation](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16554056) by [roylitchi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/roylitchi/pseuds/roylitchi)




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